1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed toward an apparatus for crushing and otherwise pulverizing plastic manufactured articles, and more particularly to such apparatuses that use rotating cylinders, with helically positioned chisel pointed teeth, to grab, twist and push plastic articles through a narrow exit orifice and into a holding bin.
2. Prior Art Statement
Plastic is material of choice for a majority of today's manufactured goods. As a result, plastic makes up the largest percentage of solid waste present in landfills. As many solid waste dumps across the country are approaching their maximum capacity, many municipalities have established recycling programs that include the recycling of plastics. Unlike paper and aluminum cans, plastic is used in a home in an infinite variety of sizes and shapes. Most plastic utilized by consumers are used as containers and packaging. Consequently, when the plastic is discarded it retains most, if not all, of its original shape. The bulk of the material makes plastic hard to store and handle and does not lend itself readily to the logistics of recycling.
The present invention provides an automated machine that reduces the size and shape of plastic manufactured articles. The present invention so orients the plastic that it is compressed into its most dense form. The compacted plastic is now readily stored and easily recycled.
The problem of handling the bulk of used plastic materials has been in existence for many years. Consequently, numerous devices have been invented and patented that crush, squeeze and shred plastic into more manageable forms. Prior art that is addressed directly to the comminution of plastic for the purposes of recycling are exemplified by the following:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,703,899 to Lodovico, 3,951,059 to Morris, 3,504,621 to Qualheim and 4,923,126 to Lodovico et al, all show machines that use a series of shaping or cutting wheels to either flatten or pulverize plastic material. The end result of these prior art machines is either a flattened plastic product or plastic confetti. The flattened plastic products are only compressed in one plane and still demand a substantial space to be stored. The plastic shreddings are hard to handle and are difficult to recollect if accidentally spilled. As a result, neither the flattened or shredded plastic products are ideal for home recycling use.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,596 to Hoffman shows a device for crushing glass bottles. This prior art is the only invention found that uses a plurality of augers, arranged in a converging orientation, to compress materials. This invention differs from the present claimed invention in that the present invention offers a plurality of chisel pointed teeth helically arranged on a tapered cylinder. The converging orientation offers the same physics of compression as does Hoffman but the pointed teeth grab the plastic, twisting the material as it is compressed. The end result of the present claimed invention would be a tightly compressed cylinder of material that is easily handled and has a small volume.
Thus, although prior art does show devices that have cutting blades and screw augers that engage and drive recyclable materials, prior art does not teach or suggest an apparatus that positions pointed teeth on tapered cylinders, the combination of teeth from a plurality of cylinders acting to simultaneously twist and compress a plastic product into a form more easily handled.